Cat Chat, the Cat Rescue Resource • UK Registered Charity No. 1100649
Who We Are • Our Story • Objectives • Activities • Latest News
Who We Are
Cat Chat is a web-based registered charity sourcing new, loving homes for rescued cats and kittens, from rescue shelters and rehoming groups across the UK and Ireland through our Virtual Cat Shelters. Our on-line homing services are given free of charge to rescue centres large and small, from the numerous independent shelters and rescue groups to branches of the larger organisations. We also help vet practices to find homes for cats left in their care.
We aim to raise the profile of the 'rescued cat' and to truly make Adoption the best Option!
Our Story So Far
Cat Chat was first launched in June 2000, by founders Mandy and Steve, inspired and assisted by their two rescue cats Gemini & George (pictured). As the website developed, and more shelters and cats were featured, so increasing numbers of rescued cats began finding homes through the site. The internet, and Cat Chat in particular, was fast becoming a vital rehoming resource for shelters. So, with the aim of helping many more rescued cats into homes, a small group of trustees was recruited and in 2003 Cat Chat became a registered Charity.
Since then, the Cat Chat site has found loving homes for many thousands of cats from shelters and rescue groups across the UK and Ireland. Our most recent shelter survey showed that we are sourcing homes for well over 10,000 rescued cats annually. Cat Chat is often referred to by shelters as their ‘Rehoming Lifeline’. To see a selection of cats recently homed with Cat Chat's help, visit our » Rehoming Roll of Honour.
Today, we have a dedicated team who keep Cat Chat running » Meet our Team. We are delighted also, to have three very special patrons: tireless animal welfare campaigners Sir Roger Gale MP and his wife Suzy, and the wise and wonderful Bagpuss. Also supporting our cause are seven cat-loving celebrity 'Champions'; Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, author Tom Cox, cat behaviourist Vicky Halls, actors Susan Hampshire and Sir David Jason, television presenter Suzi Perry and vet Dr Pete Wedderburn. » Meet our Patrons & Champions
Over the years Cat Chat has developed enormously, and continues to do so. We have extended our services to help vet practices who have cats left with them for homing, and developed our own unique design, Cat Homing Pages for shelters. Our most ambitious achievement so far is our bespoke Cats Needing Homes section, which enables people to search for adoptable cats in their local area. This section now features thousands of cats needing homes, from hundreds of shelters and rescue groups across the UK and Ireland, and is updated continually.
Our quest to help even more cats out of shelters into homes, continues...
For many rescue centres, Cat Chat is their main source of good homes; Shelters often refer to us as their 'Rehoming Lifeline'.
Our Objectives
Through the Cat Chat website, we help rescue centres nationwide to find more homes for cats in their care, and encourage more people to adopt rather than buying from a pet-shop or breeder. We are particularly committed to finding homes for the harder-to-home cats, such as older cats, nervous or shy cats, FIV positive cats, and cats who have been in care too long. We believe that there is a home out there for every cat!
We also promote neutering at four months of age, to prevent unplanned litters, and so reduce the future stray population. Despite the constant message of 'neuter, neuter, neuter!', rescue centres are still continually full with stray, abandoned and unwanted cats and kittens. There are many thousands of cats in rescue care across the UK and Ireland right now, and we will do all we can to help that situation.
Our Mission Statement: To facilitate the rehoming of unowned cats and kittens nationally through cat rescue groups, and to promote kindness to all animals.
By Encouraging Adoption and Neutering, We Hope that One Day, Every Cat will be a Wanted Cat.
Our Activities
Here are some of the ways in which Cat Chat is currently helping rescue shelters, rescued cats and cat lovers:
Cat Homing Pages for Shelters: We offer free Cat Homing web-pages to any UK or Ireland based rescue centre or rehoming group, enabling them to feature their cats and kittens seeking homes on the web. We set the page up, link it from Cat Chat, host and promote it at no cost to the rescue. All cats on these pages appear on our central Cats Needing Homes section. We believe every cat in care should have an equal chance at a new, loving home, so Cat Chat helps all kinds of cats from all kinds of rescue and rehoming groups, large or small.
Helping the 'Overloooked' Cats: Most shelters find they have a few cats that always seem to be overlooked, and often stay in care for months or even years. They may be elderly, have a medical condition, be very shy, or are simply passed by in favour of prettier or younger cats. Rescue shelters and rehoming groups can feature any 'harder to home' cats on our Overlooked Cats section. This section has been very successful in finding new homes for many cats, some of whom had almost given up hope. Some of the cats rehomed via our Overlooked Cats section appear on our Homed Cats Roll of Honour.
20th Anniversary Campaign: In 2020 we celebrated 20 years of cat homing, which we marked with our special 'Twenty for 2020' campaign. Working with rescue organisations across the UK and Ireland, we identified 20 cats who had been in rescue the longest. Through nationwide promotion of these deserving cats, we aimed to reach their perfect person. Our campaign was supported by the following well known cat lovers: Ian Anderson (of Jethro Tull), Rupert Fawcett, Vicky Halls, Sir David Jason, Ian Lavender, Deborah Meaden, Suzi Perry, Angela Rippon and Dr Pete Wedderburn. The campaign was a terrific success, ultimately finding homes for many more than 20 long stay cats.
Public Advice & Education: We offer advice and information on a wide range of subjects relating to cat rescue, rehoming and cat welfare, through our Cat Advice & Information pages. We also provide advice to members of the public via our email Help Desk, through our Social Media pages, and via our qualified, volunteer veterinary adviser.
Rescue Centre Listings: We always encourage people to go to a rescue centre when seeking a new animal companion, rather than going to a pet shop or breeder. To make this easier, we provide an extensive county by county database of rescue and rehoming centres across the UK and Ireland. We currently have around 1,200 rescue centres represented on our pages, and we are continually adding and updating our listings. Find your local rescue shelters on our Cat Rescue & Adoption Centre Listings
Feral / Farm Cats needing Homes: Each year, many feral or rural-living cats become homeless due to changes in land usage. Rescue organisations are then left with the problem of finding new locations for these cats. We therefore maintain a section for Feral / Farm cats needing homes on farms, smallholdings, or at stables or other rural locations. Find out which rescue groups near you have Feral / Farm cats Needing Homes.
Help for Vets who Rehome: Vet practices don't have as many avenues for finding homes as rescue shelters do, and often find themselves sheltering a cat for many weeks, or even months. Therefore, our online services are also available to vets, to help find homes for cats left in their care: Rehoming Help for Shelters & Vets
Cat Chat - Helping Cats out of Shelters... into Homes
Monthly News Updates
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January 2024 News • February 2024 News • March 2024 News
Could You Help?
We are very proud to be helping thousands of cats every year find a home of their own. However, many more cats still need our help! There are various ways you can support us; find out How you can help Cat Chat
